Diving In
by yadon
Summary: Kana's first kiss with Georgia doesn't need to be perfect. In fact, he's more in the hunt for it to be exciting and memorable, just like she is. Phillip and Dirk have just the plan. The ridiculous, outrageous, completely-foolproof-nothing-possibly-can-or-will-go-wrong plan. Spoiler: It goes wrong. [TVS Early Summer prompt; Georgia/Kana & surprise!background pairing]
1. Chapter 1

"So whaddya think? It's a brilliant idea, huh?" Phillip turned his beaming smile up a notch, honing it in right on Kana.

"It's a terrible idea," Hiro answered before Kana could. "Risking one's health to such a degree, not to mention toying with the emotions of your friends? Phillip, it's not—stop smirking, Dirk! It's not amusing, either of you!"

The four of them were gathered in Dirk's home, relaxing after what had been another successful Angling Contest. Dirk and Phillip were seated beside each other on Dirk's bed, with Kana and Hiro on the floor facing them. Somehow, the topic of conversation had strayed to Kana's blatant interest in Georgia, and his friends all wondering if he had any plans to take it to the next level with her.

He didn't. There wasn't anything wrong with how things were, now, and Georgia was forward enough herself. Any day now, he expected __her__ to make a move—of course, when it came to Georgia, "making a move" could also mean her decking him for "flapping his ugly gums" too much about how he was the more experienced rider.

"Aw, c'mon Hiro, it's not __that__ bad. At least it's..." Kana paused, consulting his half-empty glass of sangria for a moment before answering. "It's exciting, compared to what you suggested."

"You mean, old-fashioned courtship?" Hiro countered. "What is wrong with simply asking her out, spending time with her and allowing the relationship to build itself naturally? Why would you want to work her into a tizzy, and have her think you're on the verge of death?"

"She won't be in a tizzy! She'll be too busy __saving him__ , giving him mouth-to-mouth." Phillip grabbed Dirk, yanked him down so Dirk was laying across his lap. He pinched Dirk's nose tight, leaning in closer as if he were about to demonstrate. "And then..."

Dirk shot his tongue out, probing it around and making lewd noises. It accidentally swiped Phillip's lip, which prompted an "Aw, dude!" from the farmer as the both of them dissolved into snorts and giggles. Kana couldn't help but join in, though a much heartier chuckle.

"Kana, I implore you. There are simpler, far less dangerous ways to woo a woman. Listening to her, taking an honest interest in things that are important to her. The occasional gift, or dinner date. You seem to do that with her already, anyway."

"Booorrrr-rinnnnng," Dirk was mostly recovered from his giggle-fit, and sipped from his own glass of sangria. Well, non-alcoholic sangria, which essentially made it fruit punch.

Hiro shot him a glare that might have been effective if every other feature on Hiro wasn't so soft and boyish. " _ _And__ , might I remind you that __none__ of us here have much experience with the fairer sex, and therefore I can't see why you'd take their advice over mine, or even no advice at all."

"Man, you sound like such an old fogey, Hiro!" Phillip defended himself. "C'mon, 'courtship'? 'Woo'? Girls these days want a little bit of... of flare! A thrill! Especially a fiery thing like Georgia; you think she's gonna settle for some stodgey paint-by-numbers sort of romance? Whaddya think this is, some kinda hokey dime-store novel, with a southern belle and her he-man ranch hand sweeping her off her feet? Ugh, I can see it now..."

Phillip stood from the bed, moving to where Dirk's umbrella was propped at the baseboard. Picking it up, he opened it and started to twirl it primly as, in mincing steps, he completed a small arc back to Dirk.

"Oh, Kana, I __do__ declare!" Phillip affected his best twangy accent in a much higher, more effeminate register. He melodramatically fluttered his eyelashes. "Why, you are __such__ an upstanding gentleman, takin' lil' ol' me out to have the finest fried rice this side of Konohana! I ain't never met a man half as refined or even a speck as handsome as you. You make me feel funnier inside than a car full of clowns."

Phillip touched Dirk—the Kana fill-in—on the shoulder, coy smile to match such a demure gesture.

Dirk continued the charade, lowering his voice at an attempt to mimic Kana's. "Georgia, you make my heart gallop like a herd of Clydesdales... how could I have waited this long to ask you, do you care for me the way I do for you? I gotta know!" Dirk brought a hand to Phillip's cheek, caressed it. "So answer me: Yea... or __neeeeeiiighhhh!__ "

A mouthful of sangria came back up through Kana's nose. It stung but not enough to keep him from laughing uproariously. Hiro heaved another sigh, while Phillip threw the umbrella aside, diving back onto the bed and grasping at Dirk's jacket.

"Oh, Kana, I love you!"

"I love you too, Georgia!"

"Take me!"

"You got it!"

Phillip shoved Dirk down onto the bed. "I'm all yours. Saddle up, big boy!"

"Oh, dude! Yes!" Dirk played along, his leg kicking out as Phillip climbed astride him. He topped the whole production off by sounding out a very convincing whinny.

Thankfully, that was where their simulation ended—again, from a wild case of laughter. Phillip's was so intense that the upper half of his body toppled off the bed. His legs remained hooked upright, too tangled with Dirk's to follow the rest of him to the floor.

"I suppose common sense is not all that common these days." Hiro stood with a huff. "Kana, I wish you the best of luck in your pursuit of Georgia, but I can not condone this. As such, I won't be joining you all on Sunday." He threw a glance over at Phillip and Dirk, who were lost to the world. "Good night, and __please__ , reconsider this folly."

Kana wiped at his sangria-stained nose, hurriedly standing and going after Hiro as he exited Dirk's home. "Bro, c'mon." But Hiro kept walking. Kana tried again. "Hiro!"

They were several feet from the shipping bin when Hiro stopped and turned to face his closest friend. "You won't change my mind about this."

"I know. And I won't try to, y'know, I know you'll always be in doctor mode. Worrying over me, over everyone. But you're blowing this way out of proportion. No one's going to get hurt in all this—I'm a strong swimmer. Not that Georgia knows that."

"I __almost__ want to say that, if you __do__ somehow get hurt, to not come crying to me." Hiro averted his gaze momentarily—his attempt to inject some light-heartedness into the conversation had failed, his worry too prevalent. "But I... I would... I suppose that's the crux of it, Kana. I don't even want to think of something so horrible happening to you, even if it is staged. I would imagine that Georgia might feel similarly."

"See, I'm thinkin' more that she'll appreciate the cajones I have to do something as bold as this. One-up her. She's __different,__ Hiro. She's..." Kana paused, trying to put it in terms Hiro could understand. "It's like, I've never been anything but healthy, right, but being with her makes me feel even more... alive. Like she's some kind of cure for ails I didn't know I even had."

After a weighted pause, Hiro replied quietly, "...I'm not the one who needs to hear that, Kana. She is."

And suddenly, Kana felt every bit the dumb lug Georgia liked to accuse him of being. He didn't have much of an argument to that, but he still believed in the absolute insanity and bombast of Phillip's scheme. "Well. I'm usually not too hot with words, I'm more of an action kind of guy."

"But you don't have to be a __reckless__ kind of guy."

This wasn't going to end. "Hiro, look, would it make you feel better if I came to see you, first thing after we head back from the mountain? Like, I'll even tell Georgia I can't walk her home, and no matter how beat I am, shit, I'll crawl to the clinic if I have to, to show you everything went a-ok. Yeah?"

"I... I would appreciate that, yes." Hiro's face, which had been all pinched in frustration and distress, eased up. A smile began to form. "But please, __be careful__. And stay hydrated. And be sure to wear sunscr—"

"I know, dude." Kana moved close enough to Hiro to sling an arm around him. "I got it, don't worry."

Hiro didn't say anything, just sighed, this time in a slightly amused resignation. He slipped out of Kana's arm, and bid his friend a silent goodnight with a little wave.

Kana gave one back, splitting off from Hiro as he reached his own home.

Hiro was Hiro, Kana thought as he got ready for bed. He would always fret about his friends, loved ones, even total strangers, because that's __who he was__. Always prepared, as a doctor should be, for the possibility of something going wrong.

But Sunday would be a shining example of why Hiro's continual worrying could, at times, be a waste. A hot summer day, food and drinks and friends in a shockingly refreshing waterfall. The girl that was stuck in his mind like a horseshoe nailed to a hoof, and the possibility of finally getting to kiss her looming.

It was the perfect recipe for everything to go right. 

* * *

_Well, this is my entry for The Village Square's Summer prompt. The guidelines were pretty lax, basically only needing it to be about summer in some way, so... here we go with my first ever ToTT fic! I've actually been replaying it recently to get in the mood for my favorite rival pair, the wonderful Kana/Georgia – but as the summary says, another pairing that I adore from this game will sneak in. The prompt is not due until the end of summer (that is, the first day of Autumn), and this should only be 4 chapters, alternating between Georgia and Kana, so I figured I could slap the first chapter (which I had a ton of fun writing) up now and get it off my mind before the busy week ahead of me. Hope you all enjoy!_


	2. Chapter 2

Georgia reckoned it was appropriate that she and Laney had agreed to meet up with the Konohana boys at high noon, because her stomach was doin' a jig like she was headin' to a showdown unarmed.

It wasn't helpin' none that it was shapin' up to be one of the hottest Summer days in recent memory. The sun was beatin' down on her and her two favorite girls as she rode Dakota up the steep incline of the mountain. Laney's arms circled tight around Georgia's waist, holdin' on for dear life.

They weren't trotting fast enough for Laney to have any reason to be clingin' like a burr, but she wasn't experienced with riding the way Georgia was. Between them, on Laney's lap and digging against Georgia's back, was the picnic basket they'd stocked full of summer treats to chow down on later. Laney had thrown in some napkins and wet-naps too, because Goddess knew those dirty boys weren't gonna think to bring any along.

The first thing she was gonna do when they arrived at the waterfall was let Dakota have a nice, long drink from the creek. Heck, Georgia had half a mind to join her, get on her knees and gulp down the water 'til her thirst was quenched.

They reached the mountain's summit, and Georgia urged Dakota to slow down even more. She released her grip on the reins momentarily, swiping at the sweat sticking her bangs to her forehead. That dip in the river couldn't come soon enough, and it was the first time since bein' invited that Georgia could say she was lookin' forward to it.

Swimmin' meant wearing a swimsuit, which she currently was hiding 'neath knee-length board shorts and the sleeveless terry-cloth zip-up. Georgia's opinion was that her wearin' a swimsuit was akin to tryin' to put flip-flops on Dakota. Ridiculous and useless, and people were gonna do nothin' but gawk at how silly it was.

"You know," Laney spoke up as they began their descent towards the Konahana side, "Phillip said that this get-together was all Kana's idea."

Georgia's response was a snort that could have rivaled one of Dakota's. Why'd Laney have to say it all sparkly-like, as if Georgia was supposed to be awed and, even, __interested__?

"Well, then Phillip'd be lyin' like a no-legged dog, 'cause if Kana ever had an idea of his own, it'd die of loneliness. I'm only goin' 'cause __you__ want me to come along, and we spent all that money on these new swimsuits. Might as well get some use out of 'em."

"The guys'll be wearing swimsuits too." Georgia could practically __hear__ Laney wiggling her eyebrows, suggestin' this was supposed to be a good thing.

"'Course they will, they ain't gonna be swimmin' around buck naked!" Goddess, or __would__ they? She wouldn't put it past any of 'em, and suddenly it felt like fire ants were crawlin' up her neck.

"Hm, now why would you be thinking of something like that?" Laney teased.

"If you say one more word involvin' Kana and swimsuits, I'm turnin' this horse around!" Georgia directed Dakota into the beginning of a u-turn, and Laney conceded.

"Okay! I won't, I promise!" Her grip left Georgia's waist and, Georgia assumed, was hugging the picnic basket where her precious pineapple creme bars were stored. There wasn't much that meant more to Laney than sharing new recipes with her friends, and that wasn't fixin' to happen if they turned around now.

They continued on in a welcome silence, and after a few minutes, the waterfall came into sight—and into earshot, as Georgia could hear its low roar. The cool mist drifting out from its waters cut through the oppressive humidity surrounding them. She brought Dakota to a halt where the grass faded into a stone bridge that crossed high above the creek.

It didn't take long to find the boys. Even with the rushing waterfall, she could hear 'em carrying on down below. She saw Phillip first, his ginger hair makin' him stand out like a fly on a wedding cake. He was sitting on the edge of the dock, feet hangin' in. Dirk was splashing around, hootin' something that was making Phillip retaliate by kicking sprays of water at him.

Kana... well, Georgia didn't see him, but it ain't like she was lookin' for him!

Laney greeted them by calling down in her best Georgia impersonation. "Hey, y'all!"

Phillip and Dirk cheered and hollered, motioning for the girls to come and join them. Georgia could only shake her head. If she saw a bear dance by in a frilly pink tutu, she'd think it more normal than those two ding-dongs.

"You go on," she told Laney as they dismounted. "I'm gonna go tie Dakota over yonder. Don't let those hooligans eat all our snacks 'fore the day's even begun!"

Laney laughed, setting off with the picnic basket ahead of Georgia, practically skipping down the ledges leading to the river.

Georgia took her time guiding Dakota, and was so focused on her baby girl that she didn't notice she had company until an all-too-familiar voice disrupted her.

"Hey Georgia!"

She didn't need to turn and look to know it was that danged Kana, but she did anyway. Turn, and __look__.

His swimming trunks were the same leafy green as his usual work duds, but the half above it... it sure wasn't __usual__ in any way, to what Georgia was used to seein'.

'Course he was firm and muscular—he put in a hard day's work on the daily. No surprise in the least, but Georgia couldn't keep herself from admiring, and now she didn't have any need to share a drink with Dakota, because her mouth started waterin' perfectly fine on its own.

"Where the hell were __you__?" She demanded, hopin' the slight crack in her voice weren't as obvious to Kana as it'd been in her own head.

"Just goin' for a swim." He grinned, running a hand through his hair. It was hangin' limp, like a shaggy dog who'd just gotten a bath. "Over there."

Kana nodded south a-ways from them, towards what could only be considered a pond, where another dock jutted out. It wasn't as deep as the area around the waterfall, but when it was hotter and stickier than the devil's armpit, Georgia couldn't see why anyone would be choosy 'bout where they'd go paddling around, so long as it were there.

"And actually," he continued, "I figured you'd bring Dakota, so I was waiting here so I could show you where to tie her up. Plus, y'know, Dirk and Phillip are fun, but I needed a bit of a break after they tried to pants me for the fifth time. Two against one gets old."

Georgia had no idea what to say to that—between Laney and those two, why was everyone so obsessed with Kana wearin' as little clothes as possible?

Luckily—or maybe, unluckily—Georgia was saved from havin' to speak by Dakota gettin' her two cents in. She nickered happily, tired as she must've been, as Kana moved closer and stroked her withers. Kana gave a bright laugh in return, and looked to Georgia for permission to lead Dakota where he'd mentioned.

She nodded a go-'head, and he grabbed the reins loosely, escorting Dakota. Georgia stayed on the other side, wonderin' when exactly it'd been that she'd become trustful enough of Kana to let him handle, even come within ten feet of Dakota. It'd had to have been something that'd gradually developed over the past year, much like the wordless communication they'd just shared.

See, this was one of the many things that, in the not-too-distant past, Georgia couldn't have even fathomed. Her and Kana sharin' all they needed through glances—which was sometimes a blessing, him shutting his yapper—made her feel... strangely special, and also especially strange. Neither of which were altogether bad.

"Under the bridge there's just a bit more shade and it's closer to the water, but it's too narrow there," Kana explained as he roped Dakota to a tree standing at the very edge of the creekside. "She wouldn't have room to move around much. Wouldn't want you to learn the hard way, like I did with Hayate, last time I came swimming here. She was sore with me for the rest of the day."

Seemed backwards, that she was more fixated on that smile he was flashin' her and the kindness behind it, than the neck and shoulders holdin' it all up.

"Well, that's mighty kind of you to be lookin' out for her." Georgia hitched a smile back up, knowin' there was a part of her that still insisted she didn't need his stinkin' help, especially where Dakota was concerned. But she couldn't rightly say that to him anymore, not with all the time they spent in each other's company that wasn't entirely related to their horses.

Like last Winter, she'd even invited him to his first ever Starry Night Festival. It was the first year in centuries that Bluebell and Konohana hadn't treated the other like the plague, and Phillip had started it all by showin' up at the Moon Viewing Festival to see Dirk, even though he was livin' in Bluebell at the time.

All in the name of unification, 'course. For the towns. Nothin'... personal-like. Or, that's what she kept tellin' herself, expecting it was likely how Kana felt—didn't want to let her thoughts go off to the races, push themselves too hard only to come up lame.

They started towards the waterfall, where Georgia could see Laney had already unfurled the picnic blanket, settin' out her treats, with Dirk and Phillip swarmin' around like skeeters, waiting to dig in.

"Say, Kana?" Georgia fiddled with the braid hangin' over shoulder, anything to keep from goggling at Kana too long. "Was this your idea? Us all gettin' together like this?"

"For the most part, yeah. Here, watch your step."

The space under the bridge narrowed out, too tight for them to remain side-by-side. Kana went ahead, then offered a hand to help Georgia sneak around too. She understood what he meant, it bein' too cramped for any horse to properly relax here, even if it was plenty cool.

Well, the air was. Her body—specifically, the hand holdin' to Kana's—felt warmer than a sheep in a wool sweater, and jus' as fuzzy inside too.

"Why?" Kana pulled her along, not lettin' go even after she'd hopped around the curved path, and they were now in full view of their friends.

"No reason!" Georgia answered all too quickly, yanking her hand away—not that Laney and the boys were focused on anything but their food. "Jus' wanted to know who I was to blame for not gettin' a good night's sleep, with this bein' on my mind all week."

"So you were laying in bed thinking about me, huh?"

"That ain't what I said, you doofus, an' you know it." Georgia's eyebrows scrunched into a frown, and Kana responded by bobbin' his own brows, not doin' a thing to refute her claim of his doofus-ness.

"Hey, if you two want anything to eat, quit flirting and get over here!" Phillp called over, his words garbled by a mouth crammed full of food.

Georgia didn't have to be told twice, 'specially since nothing of the sort was goin' on; she slipped around Kana and hustled over to where the picnic awaited, only pausing to shuck off her shorts and cover-up, revealin' her swimsuit.

If Kana noticed it, seein' as how this was the first time he'd seen her in such attire, he didn't say anything. But it was most likely that he __didn't__ notice. Georgia wasn't built with all the bells and whistles that Laney had been blessed with. 'Course, she knew some men were the type to ogle anything so long as it breathed, but still—she wasn't going to end up make anyone rubberneck when they passed her.

Her suit was a deep navy blue with a sharp white collar and red decorative buttons at the modest neckline, makin' her look like a sailor. There hadn't been any one-pieces, so this was what Georgia had settled for—at least it covered __most__ of her tummy. The bottoms were the same navy, trimmed with white at the waist and in a style that Laney had told her was called "boy shorts". Well, they were so danged tight, she didn't see how any boy would go about shovin' his nether regions in 'em (properly, anyway).

And so, she couldn't help but glance at Kana as the two took a seat—beside each other, because that was the only way they __could__ sit, which Georgia had a sneakin' suspicion was planned. It was nothin' more than the green eyes of jealousy makin' her wonder if Kana would have any reaction to the swimsuit Laney was showin' herself off in.

Laney'd chosen a cute white bikini with cherries printed all over it. The top had a little knot and tie in the middle, sorta shelf-like in design, makin' Laney look like one of those old vintage pin-ups. A flimsy tie-dye wrap hung loose around her waist, but Georgia didn't see the point in it. There wasn't much left to the imagination, her legs all smooth and creamy, on display for whatever ravenous wolves might wanna take a gander. Luckily there weren't any wolves around, just two jackalopes, one on each side of her, tearin' into her pineapple bars and chuggin' down some ruby-red liquid.

"Want some?" Phillip extended a carafe of the red drink, smiling wickedly as he explained to Georgia, "It's sangria." He motioned to another carafe setting on the blanket, a similar color with bits of oranges floating inside. "And fruit—"

"—punch!" Dirk interjected, reaching around behind Laney to sock Phillip on the arm.

Georgia laughed; they all did. Despite all the discomfort leading up to this moment, Dirk and Phillip sure had a knack with makin' others smile, even if they were nuttier than a squirrel's refrigerator.

"Sure, pass it 'round!" Georgia answered even as Phillip handed the sangria off to her. She took a swig, reveling in its lip-smackingly delicious crispness. Before she knew it, Kana's arm was around her, peeling it out of her fingers so he could take a sip of his own.

Thank goodness for Laney there to keep some semblance of order as the rest of the treats were passed around: what remained of her pineapple bars, and Georgia's blueberry-honey granola cakes. To counter the sweets and to complement their refreshments, the boys had brought along fried risotto balls, which Dirk took to scarfin' down like an anteater who'd discovered an anthill.

"Oh man, good things you never entered these in the cooking contest, Lane." Phillip groaned after another bite of what must have been his fourth or fifth pineapple bar. "You would have wrecked us."

"Us?" Georgia asked. Since when did Phillip, who was a regular at her dad's shop and had won numerous livestock festivals as a resident of Bluebell, claim himself as a Konohanan? "You forgettin' 'bout that ranch you lived at for a good year, right outside of town?"

"Hey, I have way more room for fruit trees and crops in Konohana," Phillip replied. "This sangria probably wouldn't be a thing if I were still livin' over in Bluebell. Even with the tunnel, it's still way easier to get seeds and fertilizer when I live there."

"Oh, c'mon, dude." Kana spoke up, snagging the sangria from the center of the picnic blanket. He took a quick gulp and tried to vaguely point at Phillip with the same hand curled around the neck of the carafe. "We all know the __real__ reason you're hangin' around town."

"You... you do?" For the first time that Georgia could remember, Phillip actually looked abashed.

"Yeah, man! That's where all your bros are! Me, Dirk, Hiro..." Kana looked down at Georgia; they were too close for this to feel anything but private, yet here he was, talkin' for all the world to hear. "Can you blame him for puttin' down roots in a town filled with... well, __us__?"

Georgia huffed, trying to inch away from Kana and the sweet scent of the sangria surrounding him. "I already believed him when he said about the seeds and fertilizer—you goons are all full of the latter!"

"Where __is__ Hiro, anyway?" Laney asked, for which Georgia was thankful. Goddess bless this girl's keen sense of timing.

Phillip's momentary lapse of confidence had passed, and his smile lifted back up. "Oh, you know. At the clinic, being a drag. Somethin' somethin', important research, possible medical breakthrough. But hey, check it, we can pretend he's still here."

Phillip stole the sangria back from Kana and swallowed some. After a satisfied " _ _Aaaah!__ " he looked around at the others, adopting a strict, formal tone as the told them, "Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids!"

Laney giggled, and Georgia did too... until Phillip stretched over towards her and Kana, shoving a tube of sunscreen at them.

"Now, Kana, be sure you wear sunscreen." Phillip dropped the sunscreen into Kana's lap, using his now-free hand to grab ahold of Georgia's. "Here, Georgia can help you apply some... make sure you massage it in vigorously!" He mashed Georgia's hand against Kana's shoulder, demonstrating his instructions by rubbing it around.

"Why, you—!" Georgia wrenched out of Phillip's grasp, mortified. Someone had to be rightly ashamed in this moment, since Kana sure as heck wasn't, his warm laugh reaching her already-hot ears.

Phillip had already forgotten about her—about __them—__ and selected his next target.

"And Dirk, you have to wait thirty minutes after eating to go swimming. It could upset your stomach, especially someone who eats as much as you."

Dirk frowned around a mouth full of another pineapple bar. He was still holding the other half of it. "Who...mmfff..." He quickly swallowed, and restarted his question. "Who said I'm goin' swimming anytime soon?"

His answer came in the form of Phillip launching himself at Dirk and making a valiant attempt to wrestle him down—some combination, Georgia deduced, of stealing the pineapple bar and trying to throw him into the water.

"Yeah, that's right," Phillip went on, groping away at Dirk. "Doctor's orders. No more desserts for you, fattycakes."

"Dude, knock it off. This is the last one. Don't— _ _ow!__ " Dirk turned this way and that as Phillip basically climbed all over him, trying to snatch the pineapple bar away. "Watch it, Philly, don't make me drop it! ... Nggrrk...ggggh."

 _ _Philly__? Georgia raised an eyebrow and exchanged a fleeting but loaded glance with Laney, who wore an equally nonplussed expression. She'd never heard anyone call Phillip a nickname of any sort. To hear it come from Dirk was 'bout as strange as if he'd just spontaneously started speaking French.

"Guys," Laney spoke up over their roughhousing, "I can always make more, it's not—"

"It's the __principle__ of the thing!" Phillip turned back to Laney, giving Dirk the second he needed to promptly jam the pineapple bar in his own mouth and scuttle back on his hands, crab-style.

"Watch this," Kana whispered to Georgia, picking up one of his risotto balls and tossing it at Phillip. It binked off Phillip's head.

"Hey, what the—!?"

"Run for it, Dirk!" Kana shouted.

And that's what Dirk did, ripping the pineapple bar from his mouth as he got to his feet and clamored over the picnic set-up and his friends, narrowly dodging another attempt by Phillip. "Whoops! Sorry! 'Scuse me! My bad!"

How Dirk stayed so sure-footed was a mystery to Georgia, who yelped as he came a hair away from plantin' his foot on her thigh.

Phillip nimbly darted after him, but Dirk stayed a few strides ahead. At least until he turned on a dime and hopped from the path back to the dock. Georgia could see his plan, hoping to catch an over-enthusiastic Phillip off-guard and use his own momentum against him.

It almost worked, as Phillip skidded to a stop, wobbled with a " _ _Wh-Whoa!__ " but didn't fall. Able to maintain his balance, he propelled himself at Dirk just as Dirk skipped back over to the path. Instead of landing on dry ground, Dirk collided with Phillip and let out a defeated " _ _NO!__ " as both of them went crashin' into the water. The pineapple bar went flying, sailing in an arc high above them and dropping, like an afterthought, with a soft __splish__!

Maybe it was the sangria starting to seep through her, because in her heart she knew this weren't any funnier than Dad's lousy knock-knock jokes, and yet Georgia couldn't keep herself from bustin' out laughing. Probably, too, had to do with Laney and Kana joining in, makin' her feel perfectly comfortable and free in just lettin' loose like this.

Between his own laughter, Kana leaned in close to Georgia. "Oh, I wouldn't be laughin' if I were you."

She wanted to scowl at him, but was still too amused by the boys kickin' around in the water, so it didn't sound anythin' but girlishly light when she replied, "Yeah, and why's that?"

"'Cause you're next."

"KANA!"

Before she knew it, Kana's arms were around her waist, lifting her as he simultaneously got to his own feet. Cursing, she kicked and flailed at him. But it was decidedly difficult to worry 'bout controlling her legs and arms when her stomach had this funny hollow pit in it, and it felt like a hummingbird was flittin' around her noggin, trying to find its way out.

Then he let go, nothin' but air surrounding her for half a shake of a lamb's tail. Just enough time for her to gulp in a huge breath 'fore she went down like a stone, engulfed by the cold mountain waters.

An able swimmer, she kicked up and burst through the surface, greeted by the hoots and hollers of the boys around her. Her bangs were plastered to her forehead, some pieces long enough that they brushed her cheekbones, and her braid had turned scraggly.

"Oh man!" Phillip exclaimed. "You looked like a drowned rat, Georgia."

She was about to retort, but Kana's rich laughter filled her ears. Snapping her attention to the dock, she found him at the edge of it, nearly doubled over and clutching his sides. Through his laughter, he managed to stammer out, "Oh... oh, geez, w-was that you, Georgia, or... or a screech owl? You shoulda heard your—...wh...WHOA!"

Kana stumbled forward suddenly, twisting around as he tried to find his balance. He teetered on the dock's edge, windmilling his arms in an almost comical manner, before plumetting back-first into the water and going under. Seconds later, he broke the surface, flippin' his hair back like one of those movie scenes. It curled back in a bump atop his forehead, makin' him look like he was straight outta a history book, belongin' on western currency.

Laney now stood where Kana had been on the dock, head tilted and wearin' a smile sweeter than pie. Well, if that pie were secretly spiced up with a dash or three of chili powder.

"Oops." Laney shrugged. "Guess I don't know my own strength."

"C'mon Dirk," Phillip declared, easily climbing to sit on Dirk's shoulders, as if it were a practiced routine between them. "Let's get her!"

The two-man tower closed in on Laney, and she tried to scamper away but they were too long and quick. Phillip snagged her by the wrist, and with a mighty tug, pulled a shrieking Laney in.

Georgia heard the splash—splash _ _es__ , as Laney's fall knocked all three of them into the water—but only caught sight of it out of her periphery. She was too distracted by Kana and the goofy-looking hairstyle on his goofy-looking head. His mouth, that had been sputtering out water, split into a grin as he caught her looking.

She'd been a right fool to indulge in the the sangria and sunshine, letting them lower her defenses and kick up a fierce storm of curiosity inside her. But, she reasoned, that even if she'd been fully alert and somehow had come armed with something, __anything__ , to combat that dang Kana and his advances... it didn't matter too much at the moment.

Because right now, there was nothin' in her that __wanted__ to fend off Kana's grin. Georgia let it hit her, full-force, and fired back with one of her own.


	3. Chapter 3

Not that it'd shock anyone too greatly, but Kana couldn't recall the exact moment when it'd hit him that he liked Georgia.

He supposed there was some part of him that always did, from when they first met. That he'd no choice _but_ to fall for a horse-loving firebrand like Georgia, and so he'd accepted the inevitable straight from the get-go.

And for all Hiro's advice that Kana take this relationship at a gradual, steady pace, that'd been exactly how it progressed. It was far too similar to when Kana had learned to ride, filled with bumps and bruises and more than a little frustration, but always, _always_ worth the effort. Something that took practice, sure, but was clearly made exponentially more enjoyable less from the activity and more from the parties involved.

Even more alike was the crushing fear that lanced through Kana when he considered the possibility of losing either. He couldn't think of anything more nightmarish than being unable to ride for some reason or another—permanent injury, to either him or his horses, maybe—until the letter from his dad arrived a couple days ago, urging Kana to come live with him and Kana's mother in her hometown.

Georgia, Hiro, all his friends—hell, they weren't just friends, they were _family_ to him, as much as the person asking him to come home, to a dot on a map he visited once, when he was so small he didn't even remember doing so.

A couple days ago, his big worry was figuring out the boldest way to declare his feelings for her—and now, instead, he was left thinking about how he might need to go about saying goodbye.

He was pretty good about living in the now, and had succesfully shoved aside his concern for the span of the afternoon, refusing to let it dampen his mood when around his friends. But it all came racing back to him as he followed Georgia to where she had left Dakota tied to the tree downstream.

Georgia guided Dakota to the water's edge, and knelt down beside her horse. Cupping her hand, she scooped up some water to drink. She eyed Kana as he fed Dakota one of the blueberry treats she'd baked up, but no smart remarks left her mouth.

Phillip, Dirk and Laney were still at the waterfall—he could hear their faded shouts—and Kana was sure they wouldn't notice if he and Georgia were gone for more than a couple minutes. He knew the guys would be wanting him to jump soon—to follow through on their plan, and kiss Georgia, but with his dad's offer out there, he wanted to back out on it. It seemed so trivial, immature... _fun_ , sure, but not as fun as it could be. Why would he want to take things further with her, now that he might not even be here a week from now?

"Oh, Kana, look!" Georgia squealed, breaking him from his ruminations. She pointed across the water, to a fluffy white duck waddling about on the other side. "What a cutie!"

Before Kana could respond, Georgia leapt to the other side, via the large rocks that rose above the babbling stream. The duck honked and quacked excitedly as she hurried after it and scooped it up. She pressed her face to his downy body, and was still nuzzling it when Kana crossed the stream himself.

"Mind if I join you?"

"I ain't the boss of you. Thankfully. You can do whatever your little heart pleases."

The duck quacked as if agreeing with Georgia.

"So sweet!" She patted the duck, and it wriggled about, happy for the attention it was receiving. Georgia knelt on the grass, releasing the duck and watching as it slipped into the creek and paddled around lazily. Dakota snorted as it came close, but recovered quickly and drank down water.

With a sigh, Georgia rocked back on the grass, first sitting and then flopping onto her back. Kana lowered down beside her, close enough that he could easily reach to where her braid lay, tailing out from her head.

"Why don't you ever wear your hair back like that?"

Georgia flinched, but a smile flickered along the corners of her mouth. "You like it?" She sounded earnestly confused, and Kana couldn't understand why.

"Yeah. I mean, it's fine when you let it down too, but it's nice like this too. I think it suits you—the rugged working girl."

" _Rugged_?" she repeated, punctuated with a punch of a laugh. "Ya really think that?"

"Yeah, I do. I think lots of things 'bout you, actually." He carefully moved her braid back, dropped it so it lay along her shoulder instead of on the grass.

"I find it hard to believe you do much thinkin' at all, Kana. But if you say so." Her words came out far less ornery than they normally tended to. She closed her eyes against the sun, and Kana felt he needed to do the same, staring at her the way he was. He'd always thought of Georgia as _cute_ , but right now she looked stunning.

As it was, he simply laid out on his back, keeping a respectable distance between himself and Georgia—so that it looked like two _friends_ , and nothing more, hanging out. But her hand was still within reach, and it felt stupid that this was the case and nothing was being done about it.

He inched his own hand over, first allowing it to graze hers, knuckles to knuckles, like it could have been an accident. When she didn't jerk away, didn't make a sharp comment, he kept it there. Before Kana could decide what would be the best speed and approach for completing his attempt, Georgia did it for him, snatching hold and clumsily lacing their fingers together.

Their hands were both calloused from ranch work, fingers slightly pruney from being in the water so long.

And Kana thought it was the most amazing hand-holding in the entirehistory of people holding hands. He'd have to tell Hayate about this later, how much she was missing out on having hooves instead of hands to hold with other horses. She was probably sicker of hearing about Georgia than everyone else in the village was hearing about her.

Kana tilted his head just enough to sneak a look at Georgia. What he saw was her shoulder, where a dusting of freckles trailed out from under her zip-up. He counted five, almost like they were beckoning his fingers to be placed upon them.

Well, his fingers were sorta busy right now, wound comfortably with Georgia's.

Was he gonna destroy their moment, by bringing up what was stampeding over all his other thoughts? Eh, maybe it wasn't the brightest idea, but as Georgia had just pointed out, thinking wasn't his strong suit. At the same time, he could hear Hiro urging him on—that _this_ was the right way to pursue her: being honest and open about... well, everything. Showing he trusted her.

And he _did_ trust her. Though he wanted to be more than friends with Georgia, it was precisely that—her friendship—that he valued most. Even if their relationship progressed into something romantic, he couldn't _not_ see her as one of his most trusted friends.

"Hey, so," he started, sliding his hand off, glancing side-eyed in her direction. "Have you heard from Cam at all?"

Georgia cracked an eye open, peeked over at him Her now-empty hand tucked up towards his chest. "Hm? Why's that?"

"No, I just mean... well, you were friends with him, and it's been a while since he's left. Figured you must have gotten a letter from him by now."

"Oh. Accordin' to Laney he's doin well. He writes to her and Howard a lot. Not sure if he keeps up with Ash, though. I..." she hesitated, seeming to think better of traveling down that road. Kana had never been one for gossip, and her heavy pause informed him that if she continued, her response would be easily categorized as such. "Well, he sends along well-wishes to each and every one of us. What about you? Heard anything from Reina?"

"Yeah, actually. That's kinda why I asked about Cam." _Kind of._ He definitely _cared_ , knew that Georgia missed Cam. Kana, himself, had never been close to Reina, at least not like he'd been with Hiro, or like how Reina was with Nori. But it was _weird_ not having her there, so he could only imagine what it was like for Georgia. The guy she'd known for the better part of a decade, who'd always been less than a hop, skip and a jump away might as well now reside in a completely different universe.

"I 'ppreciate it. Mean, it's hard bringin' it up 'round others in Bluebell—forget about _them_ bringing it up first."

"No, I getcha." And he did, and could tell Georgia believed him—that he didn't have to prove it to her in any way. But there was another purpose to this topic too, one he would get to by first elaborating on his answer. "Anyway, Hiro said somethin' about Nori wanting to go visit Reina sometime. Like, she _wants_ us to, if we want to, anyway. Nori, especially, I think, but Nori wants Hiro and me to come with if we can. Even Dirk and Phillip, too."

"That ain't a half-bad idea. I know the town she lives in has a decent-sized inn, to stay at. And I know I'd go see Cam if he wanted us to come visit. Heck, I'd even go see Reina; she was a nice enough gal. Only harm I could see is the cost. But if y'all chip in, it shouldn't put too much of a dent in any of your pockets."

"What about me?"

"'Course you should chip in too, Kana! You ain't some destitute ol' vagrant, that you can't afford to-"

"No, no. I mean... if I ever..." _Moved away. Left._ "If I didn't live here. You'd come visit me, right?"

"I'd—!" Georgia sat up with a start, her eyes wild. Kana didn't know if the thin line of moisture forming beneath them was sweat or tears. "But why would you...? You wouldn't really, would you?"

Kana sat up too. "Georgia, listen—"

"If this is your idea of a joke, then—!" She reared her fist back, ready to drive it into his arm.

"Georgia." Kana caught her wrist, held it firm but gentle; she could break away if she needed to, but she didn't. She only worked her jaw, dropping her gaze from him as he spilled the rest to her.

"My dad, he... he sent me a letter." Kana figured it'd add some credency if he'd actually brought the letter along with him, but he'd read it over so many times since receiving it, he didn't _need_ to see it. He had it memorized, right down to the crinkles, to the splotches from his dad's unsteady hand and the scribbles showcasing the multiple misspellings. "He wants me to come home. Or, I mean, to my mom's hometown—I've only ever visited there, y'know, it's not where I grew up, but... yeah. He wants me there."

"Just... just like that? What's he want all that for, out of the blue?"

"It's _not_ out of the blue. See, he finally found this... this horse, the one he's been _searching_ for all this time, all over the world. But it can't grow up on our ranch, it's just not the right climate; my mom's hometown is more suited, so..."

"So... so what, this whole get-together was just a goodbye party in disguise?" Georgia slowly lowered her fist, but Kana hadn't dropped his, and the motion drew him in a few inches closer. "Let go."

He obeyed her, and for how much Georgia liked correcting Kana whenever she thought he was wrong, Kana had never been quite as passionate when it came to verbal sparring. But right now? Hearing her accuse him of having so readily made up his mind and springing it on her like this? He wasn't pissed, exactly, but Georgia thinking he'd intentionally hurt her hurt _him_.

"No, no, I only just got the letter day before yesterday! I don't... I don't even know what I'm gonna do. Would I _like_ to go live with him, and see this horse? Sure! But I've been here, what, almost five years now? Moving Hayate back there would be a chore in and of itself, and I have my shop. I have a life here, I have my _friends_ , I have y—"

Kana cut himself off. He knew what he'd meant to say—he just didn't know if Georgia could handle it. If it would just anger her more, like he was trying to make it sound that everything was alright simply because he _liked_ her.

"You have...?"

"I have..." He racked his mind—what in the world started with 'y'? Yams? Yogurt? "Well, y'know! I have, y'know, _lots_ of reasons to stay here."

"So then are you tellin' me what you're doin', or _askin'_ what you _should_ do?"

"I dunno." And he didn't. "I guess I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, huh?"

"Look, Kana, I can't rightly tell you what to do. Just 'cause I'd do somethin' one way, doesn't mean you needa do it likewise. But... my mom, when she was still..." Georgia's words stumbled to a stop, but only a short one before she gathered herself and went on. " _My mom_ , she told me that if I can't follow my heart, then there ain't no point to doin' anything. Then it ain't real, not in the least. 'Cause that's the truest, deepest, most humanest part of a person—what keeps 'em alive, she said. So you _gotta_ follow it, if you wanna live any sort of the life you're meant to. I try to, 'least, and can't say I ever feel any less for doin' so."

No, and that was one of the things he liked so much about Georgia. Not that she thought of herself as perfect or that she didn't make mistakes, but she was _Georgia_ , unapologetically. If you couldn't deal with that, then, as she'd say, "tough titty."

"Then..." Kana exhaled, running a hand through mostly-dried hair. "I've already made up my mind—maybe I'd had it made up the first time I read the letter. I want to stay here, at least for the foreseeable future."

"I... I'm glad to hear that, Kana," Georgia said, and maybe it was the trick of the sun, the shadows between the trees' leaves, but she seemed to be leaning closer to him now. "Dakota would miss you if you left, and, well, I don't like seein' her down in the mouth"

"I'm sure Hayate would miss seein' you too, if I took her outta here with me."

No, there was definitely less space between them. Kana couldn't say he minded, but he also wasn't too sure how to respond to it. He started rambling, all that he'd kept himself from saying earlier so as not to completely talk her ear off.

"Just, I guess I was sorta freaked out how much time I _didn't_ spend dwelling on it, so I started second-guessing if I was really doing the right thing. It just seemed too easy, y'know, that I had this gut feeling, right off the bat, telling me I couldn't just _leave_ here. But you're right, maybe it was less my gut, and more..." He put a hand to his chest, over his heart.

Georgia nodded. "Y'mean you felt it in your pecs?"

Kana laughed, hand frozen at his chest. "Yup, exactly."

Before he could drop it away, Georgia reached for his hand, using it as an anchor to pull herself into him.

Kana swallowed, wondering if Georgia could hear how loud his heart was beating. "Hey, um... when I said Hayate would miss you, I wasn't talking about Hayate, really."

"I figured that one out, dummy." Georgia's head tilted closer. "I didn't mean Dakota, either."

This wasn't the plan. There were supposed to be sparks, excitement, _thrills_ , not this sense of calm. But the moment was so perfect. The sun, the breeze; Georgia and her cute freckles and her breath that smelled faintly of sangria, that was all moving towards him...

"YO! Kana!"

Kana's head shot up, forehead knocking against Georgia's. She hissed in pain and he jolted away from her, turning to find Dirk on the other side of the stream, beside Dakota.

"There you are, man. What's takin' so long?" Dirk wasn't far away enough that Kana couldn't see the grin splitting wider across his mouth, of his eyes ping-ponging between the two of them. "Oh, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Still rubbing at her forehead, Georgia stood. Kana quickly got to his feet beside her, grabbed hold of her arm to keep her from answering Dirk by launching herself at him. He forced on a pleasant smile, hoping to make up for the daggers Georgia was glaring.

"Nah, nothin'. Nothin' at all," he managed, a faux lightness in his tone. His hand was still clutched to Georgia's arm, and his thumb gently brushed along her skin, trying to signal to her to settle down. "Why, what's up?"

"Hey, guess what? Philly's double-dog-dared me to jump into the river from up there." Dirk pointed in the general direction of the ledges clustered high above the waters, beyond the bridge. "What about you, dude? You game too?"

 _Oh_. Yeah, he had still sworn to go through this whole production. Did he even want to anymore?

 _Okay, Hiro_ , he mentally conceded. _You were right_. _This isn't the best idea, especially with things going totally fine at their own pace._

But he couldn't really back out on Dirk and Phillip, either. And, honestly, it sounded _fun_ , jumping from that high up. He could always do it, just without the whole fake-drowning-and-kissing-Georgia part. Sure, Dirk and Phillip might razz him about it later, but they weren't the ones who were doing perfectly well on their own (almost) snagging a kiss from the girl of their dreams.

"Hell yeah I am!" Kana detached from Georgia and crossed back over to the other side, to Dirk, where he was met with a friendly thump on the back.

He looked back over his shoulder, at Georgia, who was still across the stream and visibly agitated about being interrupted. "Hey, c'mon, Georgia! It'll be a blast. I'll even let you push me off, if you want!"

That got a reaction from her, a laugh as warm as the sunshine along with a shake of the head. If Kana didn't get to kiss her today, at least he'd have that image to carry him over, until he finally did.

* * *

Laney and Georgia expressed their concern, as expected, but it was obvious they were excited too. Phillip promised it was perfectly safe—that he'd leapt off this cliff and into the waters several times since living here. Kana wasn't sure how much of that statement was true, but no one would put it past Phillip, either, so it went unquestioned.

Dirk and Kana trekked up the ledges first, Phillip behind them with his trusty sangria in hand.

"Oh, jeez, I didn't think it was _this_ high." Dirk said, almost shouting due to the roar of the waterfall nearby.

"What, you too chicken now? It was your idea in the first place" Phillip came up beside Dirk and swung the arm that wasn't holding sangria around him. "Cmon, man. Liquid courage."

Dirk took the drink and swigged down a huge mouthful, pulling a face. "Ugh..."

"And one more for good luck," Phillip urged him on.

"Nah, that's okay, save it for Kana." Dirk passed the sangria back. "Let's get this over with."

And with those words, Dirk _should_ have slid out of Phillip's hold, but he didn't, and Kana felt suddenly... intrusive, witnessing the look that passed between them, so close to each other. This whole scheme involved him, was concocted for _his_ benefit, and yet, at least in this moment, it was like there wasn't a place for him here. He owed it to his mind being muddled up from the heat and everything that had nearly happened with Georgia. It couldn't _possibly_ be...

Phillip snorted a laugh through his nose, even though neither of them had said a word, and tugged Kana with him, to step one ledge lower and allow Dirk all the room he needed.

"Hey, so..." Phillip mumbled, low enough only Kana could hear, as Dirk positioned himself as the very rear of the ledge. "I sorta lied earlier. I'd never done this and it's probably pretty dangerous, like Hiro said, and I'm kinda shocked neither you or Dirk have pissed yourself."

"Yet," Kana said, watching Dirk poise like a runner, half-crouched with all this weight on his toes.

Dirk swelled up with a great breath in, then out, and was off, sprinting to the edge. Phillip gripped onto Kana's arm, forcefully enough that Kana swore, just as Dirk took a flying leap off the edge with the exclamation of "GERONIMO!" A mighty splash followed seconds later, interwoven with the girls' screeches.

Phillip exhaled loudly, his hand falling away. Kana was positive come tomorrow morning he'd have bruises in the shape of Phillip's fingers.

"Alright, you next, Kana!" Dirk shouted up at him, pointing as if no one could see Kana otherwise.

"Maybe it's not so bad..." Phillip said, nudging Kana along. "You gonna jump, or punk out?"

Kana stepped up to the ledge, turning to look down at Phillip. His tone was light, but he couldn't help the curiosity poking through when he asked, "Oh, so when it's Dirk, you're suddenly concerned about safety, but when it's me risking my life, it's all fun and games?"

"Yeah. Something like that," Phillip replied, sipping at what was left of his sangria, partially concealing a sort of knowing smirk.

Kana huffed out a quiet laugh, not sure if that was any real answer but not caring too much either.

When Kana turned to face out towards the edge, unsteadiness hit him in a weak wave. It wasn't like he was scared of heights, but he wasn't exactly _used_ to being up this high. He blinked, sure that the effects of the sangria had dissipated by now, so _was_ it the heat? Maybe some combination thereof? Although, thinking about it, he hadn't really drank anything other than the sangria this afternoon—no Hiro around to keep him properly hydrated, he supposed. And now, it was sort of too late to do much about it.

Kana craned to check down below. Laney, Dirk, Georgia... they were all staring back up. Watching. Waiting. The area he had to jump into appeared so much smaller, tighter from up here. Too short or too long of a leap—it wouldn't kill him, he didn't think (or more, desperately hoped), but it wasn't gonna tickle, either.

As he backed up, he inadvertently stutter-stepped. That vertigo-y sensation, like he'd just been jostled off a horse, hit him and vanished just as quickly.

"You okay, bro?" Phillip called to him.

"Yeah, sun just got in my eyes for a sec." He shook his arms out, loosening the muscles. "You got any of that liquid courage left?"

"Yeah, no problem." Phillip handed the last swallow of sangria to Kana, who downed it and passed the empty cup back.

Phillip took it, giving Kana a wink.

He knew it couldn't possibly be taking effect already, but nonetheless Kana felt it. This wasn't exactly following his heart, as Georgia had advised, but it was something like it: not thinking too hard on what had to be done and just _doing it_. He focused on a point straight ahead—not above or around him, and certainly not _down—_ and, just as Dirk had, breathed in, breathed out, deeply and deliberately.

Just like Dirk, he raced towards the edge.

But unlike Dirk, his toe stubbed into uneven patch of ground as he prepared to spring over.

A vibrant pain went careening through his foot, through his body. A scream forced its way up his throat, out into the summer air.

The air rushing all around him as he fell.

He heard the shrieks, saw the sky so bright and blue.

Felt the _crack!_ , before it all went dark and disappeared into nothing.

* * *

 _Those of you who have romanced Kana (or poked around on Fogu) might recognize the portion featuring him and Georgia as a twist on his yellow heart event. :) Thanks for reading!_


	4. Chapter 4

"Whaddya mean he ain't here!"

Hiro backpedaled under Georgia's glare, colliding with the model skeleton in the corner. If he didn't give her a real answer right damn now, she was gonna make Hiro the model's twin.

"I discharged him this morning!" Hiro lifted his hands in a weak defense. "He left under his own strength, and—"

"I got eyeballs, doc. What I __mean__ , is—"

"Georgia! There's not much else I could do for him. I set his wrist, bandaged his wounds, and monitored him all night—which, I don't have to tell you, now do I?" Evidently, Georgia was not the only one frustrated with the situation. "He is not in any life-threatening danger, so I can't hold him here against his will. What he needs most is bed rest, so I'm going to assume he's at home doing just that."

Georgia bit the inside of her cheek, keeping her retort at bay. She was already frazzled from waking up later than she meant to—though if it'd been up to her, she wouldn't have gotten any sleep. But her body had folded under the emotional strain of the afternoon's events, and she'd fallen asleep sometime around sun-up, only to wake and bolt out of her room at the Town Hall at 9:30, ten minutes ago.

Hiro hadn't been as lucky—if you could call it that. He'd been up all night at Kana's bedside, both as a doctor and a friend, maintaining a strict no-visitors policy. A policy, Georgia quickly learned, specifically dealt towards Phillip and Dirk more than her and Laney.

When they'd pleaded, begged, Hiro had given them an earful, sent them cowerin' out the door like two mangy mutts with their tails between their legs. Georgia didn't blame him, and would have done the same if she weren't busy bein' consoled by Laney, as it'd come to light that Dirk and Phillip had been the—and this was using the term incredibly loosely—brains behind the whole operation that had led to Kana fading in and out of consciousness.

And now, it looked like Hiro was the one who was ready to slip out of consciousness.

"Honestly, Hiro, you look like you can use a lil' bed rest of your own. Those bags under your eyes could pass for suitcases."

Hiro let out what would have been a laugh if he weren't halfway to dozin' off into hibernation. As it was, it sounded more a hiccup that couldn't quite hic.

"I suppose you're right, Georgia. But I've already started a kettle for tea—I'll at least have myself a cup, before I rest. You can join me if you'd like."

Georgia shook her head, declining. "Tea can wait. I gotta find Kana."

Hiro moved around her, over to the kitchen area of his home. The kettle was waiting on the stove, and he reached it just as it let off a shrill whistle. "Please, just let him rest. He was able to tell me that he feels terrible about the whole thing, so just let him be for now. Honestly, he's lucky he wasn't injured worse. A fall like that, most people would suffer far worse than a broken wrist and a concussion."

Georgia watched as Hiro poured the boiling water into an ornate teacup. She crossed over to him, and as she closed in, the tea's grassy aroma reached her.

Why did every danged thing remind her of Kana? Like the tea, and its distinct scent. She'd never much liked tea if it wasn't loaded with cream and sugar, and she'd figured she wouldn't like this kind either, but Kana had invited her to Yun's tea house coupla months ago, and she'd tried it all 'cause he'd egged her on to give it a whirl. Try somethin' she hadn't before.

And no, Georgia hadn't liked it one bit, had let Kana finish it off. But now, she liked the memory that came with it.

Her throat clogged up with emotion, transforming into spiteful words."I ain't surprised in the least, he's so dang hard-headed."

Hiro blew away ribbons of steam before regarding Georgia. "I don't believe it's my place to apologize, but I really am sorry this all happened. I warned him not to go about things," he said, gestured his teacup at her, "like he did."

Hiro __was__ right; Kana should be the one apologizin'. Even if Phillip and Dirk had cooked up the idea and served it to him, Kana coulda always said no, thanks. She didn't understand why he thought he'd had to jump through so many hoops with her, 'stead of just bein' __honest__ and decent like... well, like he truly was. She wouldn't like him so much if he wasn't. He might've been nice to look at, but hearts didn't have eyes, and that's where she felt strongest about him, because his heart was just as good.

"Oh, I ain't the least bit angered with you, Hiro. I know you wouldn't have involved yourself in such a pickle-brained scheme." Georgia retreated towards the staircase, looking at Hiro with a honey-sweet smile on her face and a __Screw you!__ in her heart, reserved especially for Kana. "Bless your little heart, for all you've been tryin' to help."

"Georgia!" Hiro called after her from the top of the stairs as she descended them. "Let him rest! Doctor's __orders__!"

* * *

Doctor's orders meant jack diddly to Georgia, and apparently meant about the same to Kana, because he wasn't home gettin' bed rest. In fact, he wasn't home at all. The door was locked—even if he was sleepin', he woulda left it unlocked, she knew, in case Hiro or anyone had to drop by—and he wasn't in the stable. Neither was Hayate.

But Dakota was.

Georgia had brought her there last night. Ridin' her back to Bluebell so late was out of the question, especially with her bein' tuckered out from having to carry Kana's slumping body down the mountain to the clinic, at as breakneck a pace Georgia had ever ran her.

Dakota whinnied happily when Georgia neared her. She appeared well-rested, alert and responsive to Georgia's affectionate strokes. "You doin' okay, girl? Hungry?"

Georgia moved to where she'd placed the container of blueberry granola treats, over on the window sill. She'd left them when she'd dropped Dakota off at the stable. It was nearly empty, only a few crumbly pieces remaining. Dakota, and all the other horses in the stable, must have already been fed.

So Kana __had__ been here. Gone back to tendin' the horses, like it was just another day in the life.

And what else was he out doin', like nothin' had happened? Riding Hayate? She couldn't rightly believe even __he__ was that thick-headed, but she'd learned not to underestimate the stupid decisions he could make when Dirk and Phillip were involved.

She pressed herself to Dakota, gripping the horse's mane and burying her face into her raised arm to mute the soft sob that escaped. Fresh tears sprung free from her eyes, dampening her cheeks. Chest heaving, she let her head drop against Dakota's shoulder. She pressed herself tighter against her beloved horse, not sure how it could be that she was able to still cry.

Here, she thought she'd been all cried out yesterday, between bringin' Kana to the clinic on Dakota, the aftermath of discovering his reasoning behind such a stunt, and her dad's soothing words over the phone, tellin' her she could stay in Konohana for the night—and that he hoped Kana would make a quick recovery.

But she knew these tears were more from frustration than sorrow—that it shouldn't be this complicated to know somethin'. 'Specially with Kana, it was never this difficult. Here he'd frightened her half to death and now he was makin' it a point to avoid her—likely because he had a hunch she might wallop him hard enough to put him back in the clinic, but still. Hiro's reassurances didn't mean a hill of beans to her; all she wanted was to see him with her own two eyes, __know__ he was in one piece.

Dakota snorted, nudging at her tearful owner. Georgia rewarded her with more gentle pats, smiling through the sniffles. "Girl, don't you ever go runnin' with any stallions. They're nothin' but trouble."

She stood in the stable several more minutes, trying to regroup and slap together a plan. She could go back to Town Hall, call her dad up in case Kana had gone to Bluebell. But no, she decided; if he'd left the clinic so early, he'd have gotten to Bluebell long before she'd woken up, and her dad or Laney, who'd returned last night, would have called her already.

Georgia's next option— _ _options__ , actually—were the last two she was keen on pursuing. But at this point, there wasn't any choice.

Dirk's home was a quick jaunt away, so that's where she headed first. Marching straight up to his door, she received her fair share of resistance when she grabbed the knob. Locked. And leaving her knocked flat on her rump after trying to barrel the door down.

Grumbling and getting to her feet, she cursed her immediate hindsight. Right, it was Sunday, when the postman didn't do any circulatin'. Dirk was... well, who even knew? Not home, that's for dang sure. So that left...

Phillip's farm was sprouting crops as far as the eye could see: onions, tomatoes (or to- _ _mah__ -toes, if you asked Georgia), even furrows off into the horizon of nothing but brilliant golden sunflowers. But she wasn't here to admire, no sir!

And there it was, that calamitous monstrosity of a metal chicken, Phillip's pride and joy. He loved totin' that thing all over creation, up and down the mountain, through the tunnel, lettin' it squawk to high heaven. If it had its shiny metallic tailfeathers parked here, then Phillip's scrawny butt had to be parked at home too.

She stormed up to his front door and threw it open.

"Phillip! Where's Kana?!" she demanded.

And then promptly froze in place at the sight before her.

Phillip—and Dirk—broke apart from the heated kiss they'd been sharin' and whipped around to face her. Their clothes were disheveled, hair mussed like they'd been rollin' in the hay—and now the part of Georgia that wasn't steamin' mad wondered, vaguely, if there'd ever been a time they'd done just that in her stables. In front of Dakota.

Phillip, who'd made a noise that reminiscent of his chicken cart, smoothed at his hair then fumbled with his untucked shirt and the pants they were pulled loose from. "Goddess, Georgia! Can't you __knock__?"

"Geez..." Dirk sounded less flustered, but only by a smidgen. He retrieved his blazer from where it'd been tossed a few feet away. "I'm just glad you didn't bust in ten minutes from now."

He shot Phillip a suggestive smile and it was like a magic touch; Phillip's stressful expression evaporated into one sayin', well, hey now... everything was just peachy.

Not for Georgia. She stomped right up to Phillip, fists balled at her side and achin' to strike. "Where's Kana? He ain't at his shop or the barn, and he ain't at the clinic. So that means he's gotta be with one of you two numbnuts!"

"Um, well, Kana's great and all but this," Phillip gestured between himself and Dirk, "is a two-man show."

Georgia'd had enough of Phillip's wiggly eyebrows and sassafrassy replies. With both hands, she snatched him by the shirt and backed him against the nearest wall. "Phillip Blair, you got five seconds to give me a straight answer or you're gonna be drinkin' all your meals from a straw."

Phillip was taller and stronger than she was, but was little match for her rage, givin' him no hope of extracting himself. When he kept mum, she gave him a shake and started counting down.

"Five."

"Georgia, I don't know—" he started at the same time that Dirk began rambling something she couldn't make out, for all the fire pulsing through her.

"Four."

"GEORGIA! I don't know where he is, and that's the truth!"

"You think I'm gonna believe you, after all that you mucked up yesterday? Three. No, two!"

"Hey!" Dirk was on her, peeling her hands off Phillip and encircling her with his own arms to drag her a safe distance away. "Georgia, I'm tryin' to tell you, here. I saw him this morning—"

She slipped free of Dirk's constraint, rounding to face the two of them. "What?"

Phillip was partially obstructed by Dirk, as if they were both worried Georgia might go after Phillip again. Dirk spoke slowly, patiently, like he was trying to calm a spooked animal.

"I saw him this morning, __really__ early, like before seven, on my way over here. I passed him near his house, he was just leavin' with Hayate, and he handed me a letter. Something to send his dad. I didn't even have time to remind him what day it was, that I couldn't do anything with it until tomorrow. Then he headed north, and he seemed kinda in a hurry, so I figured he was going through the tunnel to go see you. I didn't know you'd stayed overnight, since Hiro banned us all... y'know? I figured you went back to Bluebell. Or I woulda said somethin' to him."

Georgia let Dirk's words soak in, allowed them to douse out the flames of anger still flickering within her. She almost asked how Kana'd looked—how he __seemed__ , really—but she didn't want to __hear__ about it. She wanted to know for herself. What puzzled her enough to keep her rooted where she stood, though, was, "He say __why__ he was out? Wasn't to go ridin', was it?"

Dirk shrugged. "Dunno. He just seemed really intent to get goin'. Didn't seem like he wanted to stand around and talk to me. I was so shocked to see him out and about at all, he was gone by the time I'd processed it."

"Well, thank you kindly, Dirk. That's all I needed to know. I'll leave you two be; Kana and I need to have a little chit-chat of our own."

Phillip stepped out from behind Dirk, stopping Georgia from getting too far. "Yo, hold on. When you __do__ talk to him, can you leave out the part about what you saw when you came storming in here like a bat out of hell?" Phillip motioned between him and Dirk. "But um... if you could tell him we're sorry, then—"

"You think I give a dead mouse's last turd if y'all wanna play tonsil hockey? That's your own danged business, and what I gotta say to Kana is mine. I ain't breathin' either of your names to him, 'bout anything, and that includes any kind of apology. If you had half the gumption you got when it comes to flingin' yourselves off cliffs, you'd find him and say sorry, yourself."

Phillip's smile was somethin' Georgia never thought she'd see: rueful. He—and Dirk, too, judging by how he was sporting a similar expression that was focused on the floor— knew she was right. Puttin' them in their place would have been satisfying, if she wasn't so grateful and relieved that they __were__ sorry. Much as they bothered her like fleas on a hound, she didn't enjoy gettin' hot with them. Life was better when they could act more like the friends they really were to each other.

She bid them farewell, and was almost out the door when one last thought hooked her back. Spinning around, she shouted at neither one in particular. "Hey!"

They both looked up, caught midway between curious and afraid. "Y-Yeah?" Phillip ventured.

"I'm happy for y'all." She nodded towards them. "Really."

"Oh... well, thanks." Phillip smiled over at Dirk, then back at Georgia.

"Yeah," Dirk added in, hand at the back of his neck. "Thanks, Georgia!"

"'Course." She graced them with a fluttery smile, the pretty leaves decorating a poisonous flower as she spat venom at them. "You two dingbats deserve each other."

She slammed the door behind her to punctuate her point.

* * *

The mountaintop was a favorite of his, of __theirs__ , and it's where she raced off to atop Dakota.

It wasn't any warmer than yesterday, but it sure was muggier. Georgia was glad she'd bothered to shower last night, even though she'd been swimming all day. Otherwise, she'd probably smell about as fresh as a skunk's tail-end, with how much she was sweating despite it only bein' mid-morning. She felt sticky all over and each breath came out thick and heavy, like she'd been plunged into a bowl of simmering soup.

Even bein' out here in tip-top condition took its toll, forget if she were bein' held together by gauze and band-aids, like Kana was.

Was he insane? How could he be so responsible and independent, yet not possess a lick of common sense? Sure, it was usually cooler up at the mountain's apex, thanks to a slight breeze, but not by much.

She slowed Dakota to a steady walk, turning towards the peak and the breath-taking horizon beyond it, when something caught her attention out the corner of her eye, over by the Goddess Spring.

Not Kana, but a chestnut-colored lump. Hayate? No doubt about it, that was Kana's beloved horse, snoozin' away in the green grass surrounding the spring.

Georgia guided Dakota in the direction of the spring. She thought to call out, to Hayate, but just as her mouth opened, she froze, jerked Dakota to a halt. Now that she was closer, she could see, mostly hidden by Hayate, was Kana. More accurately, she could only see his feet, suggesting he was stretched out loungin' against her.

"Kana?" Sounded like she was imitatin' a frog, how croaky it came out.

He didn't stir. And just the image flashin' back to her, no less than a full day ago, of him unresponsive to her frantic pleas that he answer her, that he open his eyes, that he __please be okay you... you...__

She couldn't gather the words then, but they came flyin' out now.

"You moron!" She nearly fell off Dakota as she dismounted and dashed over to him. "Kana! __Kana__!"

Muttering to himself in a groggy haze, he barely had time to move, to acknowledge her before she sunk to her knees and threw her arms around him. Hayate had risen to her hooves already, so there was nothin' behind Kana to keep Georgia's hug from knocking him to the grass.

"Georgia..? What are you—"

"Dammit, Kana! I'm glad you didn't die." She couldn't help it; she socked him on the shoulder as she sat back, astride his waist. "'Cause I'm about to kill you for makin' me suffer like that!"

Her eyes were prickling fierce again, when she took in the bandage wrapped entirely around his head. Pieces of his long hair carefully layered over it, and she might've thought it handsome if he didn't look well on his way to becoming a mummy. She hung her head, unable to look at him any longer. " _ _Dammit__ , what is __wrong__ with you! I thought you were a goner!"

Kana scooted out from under her, helping her to her feet—not as simple a task with operation of only one arm. "Listen, Georgia, I'm __sorry__. I wanted to—"

She threw his hand off, not caring what he wanted. "And whaddya think you're doin' out here? And goin' 'bout your chores, tendin' to the horses, all that. You're __supposed__ to be gettin' some shut-eye!"

"Dude, I __was__ resting. Out here." His uninjured arm flew out to indicate the area around them. "I can't stay cooped up in a damn bed all day. 'Least, not in the morning, when the sun's not high in the sky yet; Hiro said that I'm gonna be sensitive to that for a while. Thought I'd take Hayate up here, not to ride, just to... __relax__. It's always nice here. Comfortable."

It was more than nice; it was perfect here, by the pond. It always was, weather-wise. Right now, it was pleasantly cool, free of humidity; good sleepin' weather, she and Dad would call it. Georgia had noticed that in the winter, it was warmer here than it was elsewhere, so much so that the pond didn't freeze over no matter how frigid the temperature was in town.

"And besides," he went on, "I wanted some time to think about... y'know, how to tell you how sorry I am."

"And?" Georgia asked skeptically. "Come up with anything?"

He shook his head. "I don't think there's any thing I __can__ say. I thought, maybe, 'bout picking some flowers for you. Somethin' to really __show__ I was sorry. I was gonna ask Phillip to put some sunflowers aside and—"

"No, Kana!" She burst out at him, getting up in his face. "That's your problem, involvin' Phillip and Dirk and whoever else in your decisions. I don't want Phillip's danged sunflowers, I just want you to—"

"I'm sorry! Georgia, I'm sorry, I don't know what else to even say except that, a bajillion times over. I screwed this all up, alright? And I completely get it if you don't ever wanna talk to me again. If this was a deal-breaker."

Before Georgia could reply, Kana turned, walking several strides away. She wasn't used to seein' him like this: ashamed, hurtin' more on the inside than all the injuries he'd incurred on the outside. He didn't have to elaborate on what the deal-breaker applied to.

Georgia followed, coming up alongside him. "It ain't a deal-breaker. I'm mad, but... I don't want anythin' else broken today. I want things gettin' fixed, you understand?" Carefully, she reached for a hand half-encased in a cast. Not that survivin' the fall wasn't lucky in and of itself, but Kana's broken wrist was his left one—not his dominant right. Another small favor granted him by fate. "How long you gotta wear this thing? Feels silly askin', but is it bad?"

"Well, I __landed__ on it, so yeah, it's pretty bad. Hiro said it probably saved the rest of me from getting banged up any worse, all my weight comin' down on my wrist. I wasn't even trying to turn my body, but I guess I did, y'know, when you put your arms out when you fall?" He pulled his hand from hers to mime what he did when he fell—not that Georgia could rightly recall what happened, all of it being a horrific blur. "If I hadn't done that, I coulda landed right on my head, or neck. Bad enough that it snapped out and gave me this goose egg." He gingerly touched behind his head, wincing as he grazed what must've been a nasty bump. Georgia had collected a wealth of scrapes and scars over the years, both from riding and workin' in the stables, but nothin' on par with Kana's current assortment.

"You could have __died__ , Kana, or been paralzyed." She tried her damnedest to keep her tone even; she was only repeatin' facts, after all.

"I __know__ , Georgia. Hiro gave me that lecture twenty times over."

"And all for a __kiss__? You're unbelievable."

"Hey, hold up." He glanced over at her, befuddled. "It __wasn't__ all for a kiss."

She thought she'd settled down, but him outright lyin' to her was enough to light the fuse again—and here she was, a powder keg fit to explode.

"Oh, quit your fibbin'! I know __allll__ about Dirk and Phillip's little scheme! You were konked out last night, but I heard Hiro givin' them what-for 'bout it at the clinic." She could hear the horses across the pond, snortin' and carrying on from her raisin' her voice, but smothering it down was hopeless. "You know what my dad always told me? That just 'cause my friends all do one thing, doesn't mean I gotta, and you know what example he used? 'Georgia, if all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you go and do it too?' And dang it, Kana, it's so outrageous, no one actually does it! It's just a metaphor!"

"I think," Kana hesitantly replied, "technically, it's called an idiom..."

"Well, then it fits, 'cause it's only one letter off from 'idiot', which is what you are! You literally __jumped off a damn cliff__ because Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum goaded you on to, all to try an' __kiss me__? Didn't that, at any point, sound about ten different kinds of stupid to ya?"

"Yes! Georgia, __listen to me__ ," he pleaded, going for her hand like she had with his, earlier. "I realized it __was__ stupid. That's why I changed my mind, at least about tryin' to kiss you. I was just gonna jump in for the fun of it, but I wasn't gonna fake drowning like they wanted me to. I couldn't, not after all that we talked about, and after we almost... well..."

"That makes it any better? Any more acceptable?" Georgia shoved away, knowing it was too late; that he had already seen her tears, and savin' face wasn't an option anymore. Her pride, however, hadn't quite caught up to her heart. "And we didn't almost nothin'! What are you goin' on about?"

"Almost this."

Kana's hand—his good hand—tugged Georgia flush against his own body. Then it came up, strong fingers threading through her hair at the same time his lips landed squarely on hers. Of all the parts on Kana that had been busted, his mouth sure hadn't, and Georgia felt like __she__ was the one tumblin' for forever, free-falling through the clearest, bluest sky.

She had to come back to earth though, and her heels rocked back as she slowly broke away from the kiss.

Kana exhaled a laugh, the kind she feared she'd never hear again... "I hope that __that__ shows how sorry I am."

Georgia knew she was blushing furiously, but she was too relieved—and too __thrilled—__ to care. "Why didn't you just do that in the first place? You coulda avoided this whole mess. Or you could've asked me out, and we coulda courted proper-like, gone on a real date, an' maybe you woulda got your kiss if it'd gone well. That's what a real man woulda done, makin' up his own mind 'stead of bowing to peer pressure and listening to those two blockheads."

"So'm I a real man __now__ , making up my mind for myself, and all that?"

"I dunno, Kana. You're a real __somethin__ ', that's for sure."

Laughing again, Kana put his arms around Georgia. "All you're sayin', though—that's kinda what Hiro suggested."

"Well, he ain't a doctor for nothin'; he's got smarts to spare. When you count your blessings, you better count him twice."

"Trust me, I have..." Kana's face lit up, and his embrace tightened. "Oh, __that's__ what I wanted to tell you! Hiro even helped me write a letter to my dad, while I was up all last night. About staying in Konohana."

"I know. Dirk told me this mornin', when I went askin' if he'd seen you or not. He said you'd given him a letter to your pops." Turnin' on the charm with a bat of her lashes, Georgia's voice went sugary. "Say, now, you didn't happen to mention __me__ in this letter, hm?"

"No, not by name. I mentioned my friends in general, but you deserve your own letter, maybe in the near future. Depending on how things go."

"I think they'll go pretty danged swimmingly if you don't go throwin' yourself off any more cliffs." Georgia paused, drawin' from the interesting new development she'd stumbled upon not too long ago. "Y'know what? Actually, I think you might wanna avoid gettin' any advice concernin' girls __period__ , from Dirk and Phillip. Don't think they're gonna be your most reliable source."

Kana's curiosity at her statement lasted a full second before it was washed aside by a self-assured smile. "I don't think I'll be needin' their help any time soon."

"No?"

"Nope." Kana lifted his hand momentarily, brushing back a renegade strand of hair from beside Georgia's temple. "You were the one who suggested I follow my heart. And there's a certain direction it's got me headed in right now. So for starters..."

"You're gonna follow it?" Georgia finished, grinning up at him.

"This might be the last thing you wanna hear, Georgia," Kana said, good arm securely around her waist and lifting her onto her toes, "but that's the plan."

And this plan, with Kana pulling Georgia up into a kiss worth writin' home about, went off without the slightest hitch.

 ** _ _It's over! Thank you everyone for reading - hopefully the payoff was worth the bumpy ride. A special shout out to Durotos for all the thoughtful feedback and encouraging words. :) Maybe I'll be back again with more HM fic in the not-so-distant future. It was fun returning, if even for short while, so hey... who knows? :D__ **


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